Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-12-01

| and groans Tor my wrong. But all that Is
| past and gone. The thing TO consider now is
the happiness of my child, and yours, il you
love her, as have been led to suppose Let
your union repair the past.n
mo-" said Raymond ut is impossible
"You do not love her then?"
"God only knows how we'll I dor
"There must be. then, another reason be-
sides the one you have cited 1t is that
which governs your conduct. Will you tell
me?n
"Neverl M. Laroque. you see how suffer.
Spare me, pity meln
"Pityl Have you or yours had any for mes
Think Of that poor, innocent child who will
die. Who of us three Is TO be the most
pitiedp
Raymond gave fearless Sob
at is to kill her as surely as IL you struck
her with q knife. You shall be the first TO
hear OF her DEATH" and with these words the
unhappy man left the room. In the garden
he met Julia, and in taking leave of her he
| said:
MADAME, Raymond and Suzanne love each
other Your son has given her up without
explanation, and my daughter is dying. Save
her, madame
And without further words he drove hur-
riedly away, leaving Julia a prey to per-
plexity and fear. Why had Raymond vol
UNFAIRLY renounced his happinessi What
had happened7 She resolved to question him
as to this new phase Of affairs. and she went
to him as he sat with his head bowed upon
his arms by table. As he heard her, he rose
and, taking book, went and sat down by the
open window, and he silently nerved himself
for the grave explanation that soon must
take place between them, and he was afraid
He had borne the reproaches of Laroque, the
grief of Suzanne, and now it was his mothers
turn. He was to hear her questions and
answer them. He was to witness her fiushes
of shame, her tears. His motherl And this
was to come to her through him, her best
loved son, who had thus to become her judge
1t was afternoon and already the shadows
were frightening, and Raymond felt glad
that darkness would soon fall upon them and
SO make his task little easier. He main
tanned silence until he felt her soft hand fall
upon his shoulder.
"You are sad and preoccupied, my son.
What troubles youl"
Nothing" said he hoarsely, feeling him
self, after all. incapable of bringing about
what he knew must take place.
She sighed as she said:
MY poor boy, it is not easy for you to tell
lie. Do not try it with me- NJ Forney
told me you refused the hand of Suzanne
You do not answer. 1t is true then?"
He bowed his head
"Why this strange and sudden changel /
have right to know Your duty is to tell
mep
Il shall not answer"
"What reproach can you bring against that
pure and noble girll"
'Nothing, nothingl"
"Her father thenf'
''Nor him, either, poor unhappy mani"
"rhen | cannot understand you at ALL
Why this mysteryi Speak. command you.
Have you any reproach to make against me-
your mother, who has loved you soln
She had said this last, obeying some occult
power, and when she had uttered the words
she stood breathless waiting his answer What
if her past was knownl Why had she said
that?
You wish TO know all, motherp
~ do, for / know there must be some su-
preme reason for this inexplicable conduct on
your part
He gathered his remaining strength, and
then said slowly:
There is a grave secret in NJ Forney's life.
His name is not Forney, but it hides another
which is known to you, and which was dis
honored."
''Dishonored, you say"
Eyes, by an infamous condemnation For
ney is an escaped convict, condemned for
assassination to hard labor for life in New
Caledonia, from whence he escaped to
America"
She had been standing, but now fell into a
chair, almost fainting.
"His name, his real name1" she cried in q
strangling voice.
Roger Laroque, my fathers friendr
She had known what he was going to saw
before he pronounced the words. But wild
hope made her ask Perhaps he did not know
all, but when she heard those words, uttered
with steely hardness, she felt that nothing
was hidden from her son. She was so white
that one would have said she had a secret
wound from which every drop of her life
blood had flowed. Her son dared not look at
her. Still she did not faint, but tried to over
come her agitation, and lie for his sake, for
she could not bear to let him believe all he
knew
"Why, yes, believe l do remember the
fact. This Roger Laroque, the wretch, be
killed a man to rob him, and-and the-the
exertion of defending him was too much for
your poor father, who was in very feeble
health. But he had an idea that this Roger
had saved his life once, and so bis honor
obliged him to defend the case. But for that
your father might be alive todayn
Raymond turned then and said slowly.
looking his mother full in the eyes, s'You see
now why this marriage cannot take place"
"Yes, yes; l see. A convict's daughter
OF course you could not be expected to think
OF it now.n
"of course not" answered he in a singular
tone.
She breathed. He knew nothing then but
this. She was SO glad that she forgot to b,
astonished at the fact that this man was
Roger and she had not known it, She felt
tranquilized and relieved, and gave a long
sigh. She had come so near the catastrophe
my poor boyi" said she. my dearest
son!"
But Raymond continued:
Roger Laroque was condemned, but dc
you believe he was guiltyY'
Certainly. Your father tried in vain t,
save him, and besides he avowed his crime
which perhaps you do not know"
81 repeat my question: Do you believe
him guiltyg"
"You ask strange question. l have al
ready answered"
"Very well; tell you he is innocent"
'How do you know? All convicted Grim
inals say they are innocent. Everybody
knows that"
He rose brusquely and walked back and
forth two or three times, and then said bit
terly, looking at her with a hard and pene-
trating glance:
"Ah, mother. mother, take carel Do not
perjure yourself"
''My poor son, you must suffer greatly to
speak so cruelty to me.n
81 neither want nor need your pity"
Raymond, pardon you"
"Nor do want your pardon"
"Great Godr'
"Roger Laroque is innocent, and it is not
that ignominy which forbids me to wed his
daughter"
"How can you certify to his innocenceq'
"a woman played part in this frightful
drama. Do you hear, mother-a womanp
The guilty mother began again 20 tremble
violently. She stammered
81 hear, my son."
ga woman whom Laroque would not name
though in naming her he might have saved
himself"
Romance"
"Truthl This woman had borrowed money
from him and had been his-mistress; and to
condemn him, to be revenged, she gave him
| this money. OF course she could not have
done this alone, and she had an accomplice, a
tool, named Matthias Zuber, otherwise known
| as Luversann
"How was this discoveredgn asked she, in
the same strange voice, which seemed to her
t,v,N